Report: "An Evening With Geert Wilders"

For a last instalment of the series on Geert Wilders, returning briefly to his address last Friday at the OMNI SHOREHAM in Washington, DC (CPAC), at the invitation of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Atlas Shrugs, Jihad Watch, and Dr. Andrew Bostom. Atlas has posted a video (below) showing the main speeches.

Read a complete account of the evening on Atlas. Be sure not to miss the video, containing rather important statements by Andrew Bostom and Robert Spencer.



Related:

- Wilders Wraps up US Tour: CPAC and Capitol
- Guess What? Wilders=Al Qaeda!
- Wilders Calls for World Wide First Amendment
- Wilders Hits US Talk Show Circuit
- Geert Goes to Washington DC ... and Stays Put
- Why Multiculturalism is Racist and Evil
- A Treasure Trove of Treason
- Liberty be Damned!
- Live Blogging "Geert Goes to London" and Back ...
- Geert Wilders: Let Them Eat Grits!
- Geert Wilders: Persona Non Grata in Britain

- Filed on Articles in "In Defense of Liberty" -

Wilders Wraps up US Tour: CPAC and Capitol

International Free Press Society have the speech Geert Wilders delivered at the US Capitol last night.

Thank you very much for inviting me. (...) Today, the dearest of our many freedoms is under attack all throughout Europe.

Free speech is no longer a given. What we once considered a natural element of our existence, our birth right, is now something we once again have to do battle for.

As you might know, I will be prosecuted in my own country (...) The Kingdom of Jordan also threatens to prosecute me for insulting Islam and asks for my extradition.

Whether or not I end up in jail is not the most pressing issue (...) will free speech be put behind bars? And the larger question for the West is: will we leave Europe’s children the values of Rome, Athens and Jerusalem, or the values of Mecca, Teheran and Gaza? (...)

Hate speech will always be used against the people defending the West - in order to please and appease Muslims. They can say whatever they want: throw gays from apartment buildings, kill the Jews, slaughter the infidel, destroy Israel, jihad against the West. Whatever their book tells them.

(...) cultural relativism is the worst disease in Europe today. (...) Like the brave apostate Wafa Sultan said: it’s a comparison between a culture of reason and a culture of barbarism (...) The left once stood for women rights, gay rights, equality, democracy. Now, they favour immigration policies that will end all this. Many even lost their decency. Elite politicians in Europe have no problem to participate in or finance demonstrations where Muslims shout “Death to the Jews”. Seventy years after Auschwitz they know of no shame. (...)

Ladies and gentlemen, I suggest to defend freedom in general and freedom of speech in particular. I propose the withdrawal of all hate speech legislation in Europe. I propose a European First Amendment. In Europe we should defend freedom of speech like you Americans do. In Europe freedom of speech should be extended, instead of restricted.

(...) our enemies should know: we will never apologize for being free men, we will never give in. We will never surrender. There is no stronger power than the force of free men fighting for the great cause of liberty. Because freedom is the birthright of all man.

Freedom must prevail, and freedom will prevail. >>>

One commentator reminds us of Thomas Jefferson's words:

"Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state."

This morning Wilders spoke at the National Press Club ... Jihad Watch have the details.

Pam at Atlas Shrugs announces tonight's festivities ... "TONIGHT: AN EVENING WITH GEERT WILDERS - FRIDAY: FITNA, FREEDOM, FOOD .............. FIERCE!"

Join me Friday night at the OMNI SHOREHAM in Washington, DC (site of CPAC) for an evening with Geert Wilders. Please donate to the Geert Wilders Legal defense fund in lieu of an admission charge. (...) The reception is sponsored by the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Atlas Shrugs, Jihad Watch, and Dr. Andrew Bostom. It is open to the public. (...) >>>

Update: here are a few personal observations on the event - worth a full read!

This interview on CNN just about sums it up: Wilders repudiating relativism, refuting the reverse morality, the false equivalence, the denial of historical realities ...



Related:

- Guess What? Wilders=Al Qaeda!
- Wilders Calls for World Wide First Amendment
- Wilders Hits US Talk Show Circuit
- Geert Goes to Washington DC ... and Stays Put
- Why Multiculturalism is Racist and Evil
- A Treasure Trove of Treason
- Liberty be Damned!
- Live Blogging "Geert Goes to London" and Back ...
- Geert Wilders: Let Them Eat Grits!
- Geert Wilders: Persona Non Grata in Britain

- Filed on Articles in "In Defense of Liberty" -

Wilders Calls for World Wide First Amendment

Dutch MP and free speech champion, Geert Wilders delivered an address in New York last night. Here's an excerpt (Hat Tip: Atlas Shrugs - see her post for images):



Here's the entire text. It ends: "Our enemies should know: we will never apologize for being free men, we will never bow for the combined forces of Mecca and the left. And we will never surrender. We stand on the shoulders of giants. There is no stronger power than the force of free men fighting for the great cause of liberty. Because freedom is the birthright of all man."

Think about the madness that this man, now for years on end, hasn't been able to live a normal life just because he is critical of an ideology - and we all accept that as a given!

Just how far our values and liberties are being sold out by the idealistic collectivists can be gauged from this video (also courtesy Pam at Atlas, interviewing historian and Human Rights Commissioner, David Littman. Read the post here).

The International Free Press Society and Wilders have posted a press release on next Friday's events. Details here:

On Friday, February 27, 2009, Dutch Member of Parliament Geert Wilders, founder and floor leader of the Freedom Party (PVV), and the International Free Press Society (IFPS), in conjunction with the Center for Security Policy, will discuss recent attacks on free speech worldwide, especially the recent legal actions against Wilders and other political leaders and journalists. The International Free Press Society will announce a global initiative to protect free speech from laws that criminalize any criticisms of Islam or the doctrines of Shariah. (...) >>>

Also on Friday night: Wilders will deliver an address at a reception at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, site of the Conservative Political Action Conference, on Friday, February 27, at 6:00PM. (...) The reception is sponsored by the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Atlas Shrugs, Jihad Watch, and Dr. Andrew Bostom. It is open to the public. (...) >>>

Updating throughout.

Related:

- Wilders Hits US Talk Show Circuit
- Geert Goes to Washington DC ... and Stays Put
- Why Multiculturalism is Racist and Evil
- A Treasure Trove of Treason
- Liberty be Damned!
- Live Blogging "Geert Goes to London" and Back ...
- Geert Wilders: Let Them Eat Grits!
- Geert Wilders: Persona Non Grata in Britain

- Filed on Articles in "In Defense of Liberty" -

Wilders Hits US Talk Show Circuit

Rob Piccoli over on Wind Rose Hotel has an excellent post up on the “Premio Oriana Fallaci”, Geert Wilders and the pernicious machinations of one of the most dangerous organizations of our time: the Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC).

Some have suggested - amongst others the author of "Eurabia", Bat Yeor - that it is this massive lobby group that has pressured the Amsterdam Appeals Court into indicting Wilders. It says something about the politization of the course of justice that this morning's article in the Dutch paper De Pers states that Wilders is being prosecuted for making "anti Islamic statements". The text of the indictment is less straight forward, but it boils down to precisely that.

You can read a digest on Articles at the moment and here's the entire post. Here's one excerpt:

"(...) The OIC is one of the largest intergovernmental organizations in the world. It encompasses 56 Muslim states plus the Palestinian Authority. Spread over four continents, it claims to speak in the name of the ummah (the universal Muslim community), which numbers about 1.3 billion. The OIC’s mission is to unite all Muslims worldwide (...)"

Here's a clip of Wilders in an interview with Bill O'Reilly on Fox News.



O'Reilly is challenging Wilders that "what good does "Fitna" do, since everyone knows by now that Islamism is a totalitarian ideology". That's precisely the problem, isn't it? They should know and could know, but the psychological mechanism of denial kicks in so that they do not have to deal with a major threat!

If you want and care to keep abreast of the situation re the Third Jihad, there are a few new sites you might care to check out.

Vorzheva of the blog World Challenges of the XXIst Century has taken the initiative of starting an aggregate of the counter-jihadist movement, the Anti Islamist Coalition. You'll find such fine blogs as Infidels Are Cool and Muslims Against Sharia posting there.

Radical Islam.org is a great website, featuring for example Frank Gaffney, Jr exploring the pregnant question, "Where are the Liberal Muslims?" It stresses what we've been saying for some time. It just stands to reason that those in the West who are dancing to the Islamic tune - postmodernists, and a plethora of Leftist groups (Dutch language link) - are actually strengthening, aiding and abetting the radicals, not supporting the moderates. They are left out in the cold with nowhere to go. Check it out! It's outrageous! Read the comments too!

Wilders interview with Glenn Beck underlines another hazard to watch closely: the next stage in the disease called political correctness. Paired to "prosecution for anti Islamic statements" we see there's the tendency since the onset of Obama - and this is visible in Europe as well as the US - that opposition is somehow out of the moral order. This is dangerous stuff we need to keep a close eye on. Listen to Glenn!



Updating throughout.

The Daily Beast in "The Anti-Islam Film Everyone's Talking About" is the first to run against the apparent inconsistency in Wilders' logic. The idea however of a European "First Amendment" is a development that has come up only in the last couple of days.

"(...) Wilders has called for banning the Koran entirely. How does he reconcile this position with his new party platform as free speech martyr? (...)", asks the Daily Beast.

Andrew G. Bostom in an article on American Thinker clarified: "Wilders' demand is simply precision and consistency in the application of the law: "Wilders compared the Koran to Mein Kampf and called it hate speech according to the Dutch Penal Code".

Up next ... this was only to be expected! After just watching this vid as an example of transnational Islamization frankly nothing should surprise us any more ...

Atlas Shrugs: "ACTION ALERT: SENATOR KYL UNDER PRESSURE FOR HOSTING FITNA"

(...) There is a low grade civil war taking place in America. Just because the media is too afraid to report on it doesn't mean it's not happening. (...) Please contact Senator Kyl and declare your support for his courageous decision to show this honest and accurate but politically incorrect film. He needs expressions of support more than ever today! (...)

AN EVENING WITH GEERT WILDERS

Wilders, the foremost defender of free speech in the modern age, will deliver an address at a reception at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, site of the Conservative Political Action Conference, on Friday, February 27, at 6:00PM. (...) The reception is sponsored by the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Atlas Shrugs, Jihad Watch, and Dr. Andrew Bostom. It is open to the public. (...) >>>

Related:

- Geert Goes to Washington DC ... and Stays Put
- Why Multiculturalism is Racist and Evil
- A Treasure Trove of Treason
- Liberty be Damned!
- Live Blogging "Geert Goes to London" and Back ...
- Geert Wilders: Let Them Eat Grits!
- Geert Wilders: Persona Non Grata in Britain

- Filed on Articles in "In Defense of Liberty" -

Geert Goes to Washington DC ... and Stays Put

After the honor of pocketing the freedom award in Italy last week, today Dutch MP Geert Wilders is off to our guarantor of free speech (at least, we hope so), the cradle of Liberty, the United States of America. He does so at the invitation of the influential Republican Senator for Arizona, Jon Kyl.

Last Thursday's event in Rome included a ceremony during which Wilders was awarded the Oriana Fallaci Free Speech Award, an honor that recognizes him, like the late Italian author and journalist, as a “symbol of the fight against Islamic Fascism and a knight of the freedom of humankind.”

Wilders noted the objectives of his "Facing Jihad" world tour:

“This event is part of the ‘Facing Jihad’ world tour for "Fitna" that will serve to expose Islam for what it is: an ideology that preaches terrorism, antisemitism and the oppression of women, homosexuals and non-Muslims”, Wilders said.

“Educating the public about the harsh realities of Islamization is the first step to effectively combating and ultimately defeating Global Jihad”.

But after his confrontation with the UK's Labor Government of Gordon Brown last week which barred him from entering Britain on account of "endangering community harmony", today he's off to the US where he will be showing "Fitna" to the Senate at the invitation of Senator Jon Kyl.

Individual Liberty and the Freedom of Speech being carved into the bedrock in that nation, Wilders doesn't expect any similar problems with Home Office officials there. Neither did he have any last week when entering Italy. It says a lot about the state of affairs in Britain today, no longer great! by any standard save one.

The showing in the American Senate will be followed by an informal discussion, in which the topic will be the state of the freedom of expression in Europe. Senator Kyl in his invitation referred to the enormous controversy sparked by Britain's ban.

Isn't that a first class embarrassment, after the Americans had to bail out Europe from various collectivist adventures a number of times over the last century?! Apparently we're still clueless how to safeguard our own values and keep them.

There has been a debate in The Hague Parliament over the Wilders ban, but the Dutch Government, while initially speaking up for a parliamentarian's right to do his job in any of the EU member states, have now dug in their heels and refuse to bring up the case in the wider political European arena.

The loyalties of the Christian Democrat Government apparently aren't as much to Liberty (not part of their political philosophy, after all) but rather to fellow 'confessionals' under the banner of - as Pat Condell put it - "any religious value in society is better than none".

Wilders will also visit New York and Boston this week, where he will host press meetings, grant interviews and feature in a number of MSM talk shows in order to raise money for his legal fund. While he's having to bear the costs of appealing the British ban, he's also facing mounting legal expenses defending against the indictment for "inciting hatred" extended to him by the Amsterdam Court of Political Correctness and Dhimmidom. (Hit the donate button on top of this page if you want to contribute.)

In an article on American Thinker author Andrew G. Bostom clarifies that what Wilders demands is simply precision and consistency in the application of the law: "Wilders compared the Koran to Mein Kampf and called it hate speech according to the Dutch Penal Code". In a 2008 post Bostom collates Wilders' view with historical comments made by Winston Churchill on the same subject.

He's also breaking the news that Wilders is now proposing a European First Amendment. Well, not a moment too soon to rid ourselves of the politically correct perversion that is 'hate speech'. Short of actual and proven incitement to murder it has no place in a mature society.

Bostom also interestingly calls to mind a very similar case as Wilders' Fitna, compiled in a book by Sita Ram Goel dating back to 1986 known as "The Calcutta Quran Petition" (peruse it here) (buy it here). The given aim of the book reads: "(...) to promote a public discussion of Islam as a religion, particularly its claim that every bit of the Quran and the Hadis has a divine source. This claim is used at present to prevent a close examination of what the book contains and what message Islam has for mankind at large".

Faith Freedom explains:

Three heroic sons of India, namely Sri Chandmal Chopra, advocate of Calcutta High Court, Sri Hamangshu Kumar Chakraborthy and Sri Sital Singh filed an application in the Calcutta High Court (...) to declare each copy of the Quran (...) forfeited to the government. In their petition they stated, among other things, the following reasons:

(...) the book contains words or sayings which promote, on ground of religion, disharmony, enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious communities or which outrage the religious feelings of any class of citizens of India or insult the religion or religious beliefs of that class of people.

Two Hindus were arrested - under Indian law exploited by Muslims to prevent public criticism of their faith - for publishing a poster which simply cited 24 Koranic verses with a caption “Why riots take place in this country.”

The accused were eventually acquitted by a magistrate who opined, that close perusal of the citations shows that they are harmful, teach hatred, and ... how can we put that succinctly ... generally endanger community harmony.

Related:

- Why Multiculturalism is Racist and Evil
- A Treasure Trove of Treason
- Liberty be Damned!
- Live Blogging "Geert Goes to London" and Back ...
- Geert Wilders: Let Them Eat Grits!
- Geert Wilders: Persona Non Grata in Britain

- Filed on Articles in "In Defense of Liberty" -